Eric Unkauf offers to save & repurpose Farmers Market pavilion, with some aid

>Chronicle Managing Editor Cathy DeDe writes: An 11th hour effort by a handful of community members may succeed in preserving the Glens Falls Farmers Market pavilion on South Street that is slated to be razed when Sonny Bonacio begins Phase Two of his development projects on South and Elm Streets.

Eric Unkauf, the redeveloper of the Glens Falls Shirt Factory and other efforts, writes in a letter, “One of my companies would be willing to disassemble the entire Pavilion and relocate it to the Shirt Factory to be reassembled into 3 or 4 structures…”

The conditions are: “provided a suitable amount of time was allotted for the deconstruction and some financial assistance was provided to offset the cost of manlift and telehandler rentals.”

Mr. Unkauf adds, “If this were to happen, it would be a public relations win for the City and Bonacio.”

Phase two of the Bonacio project is expected to begin within weeks, Mayor Bill Collins says.

Pema Reed led recent efforts to convince some entity to save the pavilion. Bonacio said last year through Mayor Collins that “anyone could have it” who was willing to take it away. It’s been estimated it would cost at least $100,000 — and no takers emerged.

Ms. Reed contacted the City’s Building and Codes department to find the original drawings Rozell Industries used to build the structure, she tells The Chronicle. She reached out again to several entities who’d previously passed on it as Mr. Unkauf had.

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